Hotbed



26,1935. L HAMBERG 2022281 HOTBED Filed July 15, 1935 Patented Nov. 26, 1935 MNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOTBED Louis Hamberg, New Milford, N. J.

-Application July 15, 1935, Serial No. 31,405

4 Claims.

In some localities where certain vegetables are raised under hotbeds, aided by modern methods of irrigation, three crops a year are common. In order to obtain the best results under such conditions it is necessary to plow the ground under cultivation after each crop; therefore it becomes desirable to completely dismantle and remove the hotbed construction. The object of my invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in hotbed construction to facilitate fabrication and dismantling.

In the ordinary type of hotbed construction wooden posts are .driven into the ground at regular intervals and the side boards nailed thereto. By employing the steel support embodying slots for removably holding the side boards, as described in this application, the driving of posts and nailing of the side boards thereto is entirely eliminated and the breakage resulting from constant setting up and taking down of the ordinary hotbed construction is reduced to a minimum. Further objects and advantages of the proposed construction will be hereinafter disclosed.

The structure is fully explained in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the hotbed construction.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the support l2.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the left hand portion of the support l2 with the angle brace 6 removed.

The hotbed construction employing the proprovides for a series of rows of hotbeds covered ,with sash I, and a foot path l3 between successive rows of said hotbeds. Room for the path I3 is provided between the vertical sides of the support l2, and above the horizontal section of the bracket 8. The slots 4 and 5 are adapted to removably support the side boards 2 and 3 respectively of adjacent rows of hotbeds. The ends of the sash are supported by the side boards 2 and 3. To provide a slope to the sash for the purpose of carrying off rain water one side board (2) is made wider than the other (3).

In assembling the hotbed construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the supports I2 are first set up, about four or five feet apart, in parallel rows. The distance between the parallel rows of supports is made to correspond to the Width of hotbed or sash. The side boards 2 and 3 are then lowered into the slots 4 and 5 of the support l2, each board traversing the slots of three or four successive supports according to the length of the particular side board. The end of each side board abuts against the end of the side board next to it, thus forming a continuous side to each hotbed. The sash are then laid across the space formed between adjacent rows of supports 5 so that the ends of the sash rest on the upper edge of the vertical side boards.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the support l2; it is preferably made of a flat piece of steel about 2 inches wide and formed into a U shaped bracket 8 having one horizontal and two vertical sides. The vertical sides of said bracket in conjunction with angle braces 6 and 1, form slots 4 and 5 into which the side boards 2 and 3 fit as mentioned above. The upper ends of the vertical sides are flared outward as shown at-B and I0, thereby producing a comparatively wide opening at the mouth of the vertical slots 4 and 5; this feature facilitates lowering the side boards 2 and 3 into the said slots, when the hotbeds are being set up. It will be observed that the flare is on the end of the bracket 8 not on the end of the braces 6 and I; the reason for this detail is to have the lips 9 and 10 project into the hotbed rather than into the path 13 which might result in tearing the workmens clothing while walking along the path [3. To provide suitable support for the two different widths of side boards 2 and 3, vertical slot 4 formed between the angle brace 6 and the component side of bracket 8 is made deeper than slot 5, thereby providing a greater support for the wider board.

Depending upon conditions and the personal preference of the former, the thickness of side boards employed, changes from one locality to another. Another feature of the proposed construction provides means of rigidly supporting side boards of any desired thickness. This is accomplished by making the angle braces 6 and 1 adjustable along the horizontal side of bracket 8 thereby providing means of changing the width of slots 4 and 5 to accommodate the thickness of side board employed and yet removably support the boards firmly in a vertical position. Such adjustment may be made by inserting the bolts I 4 (Fig. 2) through the proper holes H (Fig. 3) to fasten the angle braces 6 and l to bracket 8.

I claim:

1. A hotbed structure comprising sash, side boards and a supporting frame for said side boards including a U shaped bracket and adjustable angle braces cooperating with the vertical sides of said bracket to provide vertical slots into which the side boards fit and are removably supported.

2. A hotbed comprising sash, side boards and a supporting frame including a U shaped bracket, angle braces cooperating with the vertical sides of said bracket to provide a slot adapted to re-.

movably support said side boards, means of adjusting the width of said slot whereby different thicknesses of side boards may be rigidly supported therein.

3. A hotbed structure comprising sash, side boards and supports for said side boards including a U shaped bracket and angle braces cooperating to form vertical slots adapted to removably support said side boards in spaced relation to provide room for a foot path between the vertical sides above the horizontal side of the said U shaped bracket, an outwardly flared tip at the upper end of the vertical sides of said brackets for increasing the mouth of the vertical slots to facilitate inserting said side boards therein, and means for adjusting the width of said slots whereby different thicknesses of side boards may be rigidly supported therein.

4. A hotbed comprising sash, side boards and a supporting frame including a U shaped bracket and adjustable angle braces which in conjunction with the vertical sides of said bracket provide slots adapted to removably support said side boards, an outwardly flared tip at the upper end of the vertical sides of said bracket for increasing the mouth of the said slots and facilitate inserting said side boards into said slots.

LOUIS HAMBERG. 

